Odd and the Frost Giants

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2008

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-3

Chapters 4-5

Chapters 6-8

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

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Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Animals

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussions of disability and depictions of ableism and sizeism. In addition, the source text uses offensive ableist and sizeist slurs, which are only replicated in quotes in this guide.

While animals—specifically the animal forms of Thor, Odin, and Loki—serve as primary characters in the work, they also function as a motif supporting the theme of Learning and Adaptability as Sources of Strength. Each god becomes an animal that represents a key aspect of himself. Thor becomes a bear because he is typified by his strength; Odin becomes an eagle because he is typified as wise; Loki becomes a fox because he is typified as a trickster. All the gods are more archetypes than they are humans, and their transformations into animals—and ease in acting like those animals—demonstrate this. While Odd is capable of growth and change and able to adapt to new situations, the gods, like the animals, cannot change. They simply act on godly instinct according to their natures. While the gods and the animals are powerful, powerful enough to harm humans, they rely on humanity’s help and worship to survive. Another example of this is Odd’s father, who dies from pneumonia after saving the ponies. While the ponies were more powerful than he was in many ways, they still relied on his help to save their own lives, much like the gods. Ultimately, reducing the gods to animals helps emphasize human agency: Even though the gods have unimaginable power, they are just as beholden to their worshipers, and to Odd’s help, as an animal is to a farmer that cares for it. Their relationship is symbiotic, as much as the gods try to pretend it is not.

Staffs and Walking Sticks

Staffs and walking sticks are a symbol in the book for the necessary support a disabled person needs to thrive, both literally and metaphorically. As a symbol, this emblemizes the theme of Finding Self-Worth in the Face of Prejudice. Odd’s use of a stick as a support for his disabled leg is constantly mentioned throughout the book to symbolize the ingenuity and self-reliance that allows him to navigate his disability. He uses a stick to get himself home after the accident, and he knows he will rely on it for mobility for the rest of his life. The stick, however, also emphasizes that Odd is alone in his struggle to survive. Just as the stick was his only salvation (aside from his wits) in the woods, it is his only form of support in the village, as the villagers are focused on a narrow definition of strength and usefulness and ignore him for his disability. It is important that Odd chose the stick for himself, from the wilderness, as it represents his isolation and connection to nature as opposed to society.

The symbol comes full circle at the end when he receives a new walking stick from Odin. This walking stick is carved with animals and pictures and is sturdy; he feels safe with it. This walking stick represents his new connection to his own culture and his newfound, internal strength; no longer is he isolated, but instead, he is connected to the gods and to himself in new ways. Although he still must use the stick to walk by himself, Odd has self-worth and a new understanding of the world due to his experiences.

Water

Water is an important motif throughout the book that helps explain Odd’s connection to the land and observational skills, as well as his connection to his own past, through the well of Mimir. This supports the theme of Nature as a Key to Self-Discovery, as Odd uses water throughout to understand himself and his talents better, ultimately learning to love himself and his mother more. While water is present throughout, the two primary instances of it symbolically are the frozen waterfall and the well of Mimir. The frozen waterfall is important to Odd; he has fond memories of it during the summer as a place of connection for his people, and he understands science well enough to puzzle through how to make a prism to make a rainbow. Odd recognizes the waterfall as a key part of himself and therefore realizes that it is just as valuable to the gods, despite their doubts. Just as the rainbow is trapped, metaphorically, within the frozen water, Odd can find a way to untangle the value within himself and reveal it to the gods, proving the value that has been there all along.

The well has significant symbolic and cultural significance, but most importantly, Odd uses it to understand himself and all that has made him who he is. He views the past through his father's and mother’s eyes and understands the beauty of his existence through the water he drinks and watches. Odd, in this moment, experiences the divinity of the Norse gods, but does so exclusively through his own life and lens. The well does not give him power in the traditional sense, but it does help him recognize his inherent value and the love his parents had for each other and for him.